OK, I'm convinced.....ready to clear the fog...help!
 

I came back last July from a 30 year layoff from golf. Over the last 9months, I have developed such a passion for the game......

I've spent around 1200.00 taking lessons from 3 different instructors...the latest one a "certified PGA class A" instructor at LPGA International here in Daytona Beach. Needless to say, I am most disappointed at the level of instruction I am getting.

So, I stumbled into this site and love what I am reading. I have 6 kids so I need to save some $ in order to make a trip to the swamp. Until that time, I need recommendations on how to get started. Where do I get this TGM book? Is there a video/dvd series out there by Yoda? (I do much better with motion video than reading).

Please, any and all...give me you help in getting started clearing the fog!!!!

Ask Those Questions!
 

Welcome aboard, 30yr, and thanks for your first post. Keep'em coming!

You're looking for help, and as you've discovered, you've come to the right place. Load up those questions and fire away!

Thanks!
 

Not trying to be a smart a$$ here. But, how 'bout some help with the first questions I asked? GRIN

Point me in the right direction as to what to do first. Get the TGM book? if so, where? Get a DVD?, if so, which ones? If there is a DVD I prefer them over books. I seem to absorb visually than through reading,

My goal would be to take a visit to the swamp but I am pretty sure that is going to take a few months of savings for me.

Get me started and I promise to keep the questions coming on a very regular basis!! PROMISE! grin

Thanks for the great site and offers to help!

Source Material
 

You can get the book directly from the TGM main office at www.thegolfingmachine.com. There is supposedly a new 7th edition that was promised in early April of this year, but no word if it is shipping yet.
As far as DVD's, there is a wealth of free video in our gallery which you can spend many hours viewing and reviewing. You won't find anything better for that kind of bargain. :cool:

Bagger

Ah great, thanks!
 

Is the book essential? Or can I pick up the info I need from the book here? Not trying to be cheap. I just absorb as much from books as I do watching a video.

The book is a good reference. You need it to at least familiarize yourself with the terminology (there is a glossary at the end of the book). You probably could pick up a copy of the 6th edition (the one most everyone here has) at your local library or even used on Amazon.

Another video that helps is "Explosive Golf" It goes through the swinging motion. Can be found for about $6 or less. Also look at http://www.manzellagolfforum.comfor other free videos and instruction.

Lynn's archives from other sites have a great wealth of info, especially for hinge and flying wedges.

30yr....

I did almost the same thing as you.... I stopped playing when I was 20-21 and didn't play again until I was 43. Then I took lessons from a number of people, some pretty well known. Make every effort to get to the swamp. I have seen Ted Fort twice for a total of 8 hrs. and it has made a big difference in understanding TGM and more importantly understanding what I do in the golf stroke. Lynn and Ted will save you a lot of time and give you the truth. I didn't get to Ted until I was 57. That was 14 yrs. of struggling and changing and never knowing what I really needed to do. Don't make my mistake, I urge you...do it right from the start.

I posted this to another member who had the same question:


Since you said in a previous post that you can't travel to GA., try this. It's what I did pretty much all winter:

Download every single video in the Gallery. Watch them. Again, again, and again. I recommend the Collin Neeman videos, Ben Doyle's(priceless), and Yoda's Impact Bag and also Dowels and Wedges.

Next, go to the Forums. Start with The Golfing Machine- Basic. Read all the posts, and copy and paste anything that "makes sense" to you into a Word document. Then go back into the archives and do the same thing. There is brilliant stuff in there(I'm still trying to figure out when EdZ and Yoda signed their truce ). Then work yourself thru the rest of the site, still copying and pasting. More and more stuff will make sense to you as you go.

Now, here is one thing that won't make sense when you're starting off- the book itself. In the beginning, it is brutal. But once you figure out the Three Imperatives, Three Functions, Three Stations and the Three Essentials, and Pressure Points and Flying Wedges, you'll be on your way. It sounds like a lot, but it really isn't. When I first got the book, I defied any person I knew to make sense of any paragraph in it. Now, my book is covered in highlighter with points that impact my swing.

And yet, I'm only at the beginning of my journey...

I just have to say Blackjack, that signature is awesome!

Matt

Been using it for years. Swap in a new quote every few months...:)

Thanks BJNY....
 

BTW...Black is my 2nd love!

So, how has your swing / game improved since beginning your journey???

7th edition status
 

I emailed the home office the other day. The reply stated "on or about May 1" for the latest shipping date.

May Flowers
 

Did it say which year? :D

Bagger

Why no, it did not. :rolleyes:

you may find this to be helpfull

have a look here:

http://www.crokergolf.com/TGM_downloads.htm

in:

1.Peter and Paul's introduction to The Golfing Machine video - note what Paul says at the 32 sec mark

Declaration:

I am a bit biased probably because I have had lessons with Paul and I have a good relationship with him as a result of talking with him over the years all the way from single axis golf to detailed TGM discussions and also about his time as a touring pro

also the list of topics is very much like what I wanted to do with Paul in person on video - to stand there and have him demonstrate the 24 components etc just for my own records and then have me do them

his level of knowledge and passion are inspiring

IMO regardless of hitting versus swinging issues what Paul shows in this second clip is GOLD

on this video he talks exactly like he does in person so I feel this is not scripted

2. Paul Harts Basic Lesson - The best short lesson (utilising TGM fundamentals) you will ever see, featuring Hand action, Wrist action, the swing Plane, the Flat Left Wrist, Hinge actions, the Flail, the Swivels and achieving Power.

if you can apply what he says here you have to play good golf

I am firm believer that if you can apply say 20% of TGM stuff you can play to say 80% of your potential

hope you can get something out of it

Paul's clips are very good...I have them all and refer to them all the time for more clarity of the basics....great compliment to the book which is very difficult to digest without support from other sources. This FORUM is the best source...so many experts providing their insights and understanding for all to benefit.

cjgolf,

I believe I have now seen all the Paul Hart videos. Is that guy as good of a ballstriker as it seems? Looks like he just rips the cover off it.

Matt

he was a tour player over here in Australia, played against the likes of Nicklaus etc in the Australian Open

I had another long talk with him today and in amongst it all he said he would have paid $50,000 to have the info that is in those video clips 20 yeras ago

To be honest with you I don't know about the true quality of his ball striking and here is why:

there was one time I had a lesson with him and then he decided to hit some balls off to one end of the range

I didn't know so much about TGM then and I guess there was a kind of mystique about what he was doing when I looked across as I finished my bucket of balls

He was doing what I wld now say was a TGM waggle

everything was so precise, slow and deliberate

from memory he would hit 1 ball every say 2 minutes

I just have never seen anyone who was so certain about what they were doing with a golf club and this is something I have never spoken to him about

then he would swing and the ball would fly like an arrow

so the long reality is that i only watched from behind and afar

I find Lynn's video stuff inspiring

I find talking with Paul inspiring also

its just hard to put into words - there is something they capture that you cannot learn from a book

I have been around golf, golf teaching etc for a while and I guess I am a bit cynical

Paul Hart is one of the hidden gems in golf instruction anywhere in the world in my opinion. Not just because he is a TGM GSED but there is the X factor.

He told me today his level of appreciation of The Golfing Machine and how to teach it is growing almost exponentially in the last 6 mths.

Even a month or so ago he realised he didnt fully understand something so he went out and hit 100s of balls to grasp what it really meant

I will post more on him if anyone is interested

Cj
I have downloaded several of the Paul Hart videos on TGM and my first reaction was “Oh, that’s what they’re talking about.” What appears complex in print, Paul and Peter Croker make patently obvious in a matter of seconds.
Interested?
You bet!

Save your money and find a teacher that is closer to you.

Stags,

That seems to be his primary issue, he hasn't found good instruction near him.

You seem to imply that traveling to get the best instruction is a waste of money.

I'll gladly travel, rather than waste money and more importantly time engraining the wrong information into my swing.

Bagger

It is a waste of money... The man has 6 kids and he says money is tight. Airline, hotel, rental car, and a fee of 150 dollars per hour is too much to spend when money is tight and you have a half dozen kids to take care of.

Convincing him otherwise is not very responsible.

He is in Florida where there are several AI's close to Daytona Beach that he can choose from. I am certain that many of the teachers below are extremely knowledgeable and can help him with his swing much more cost effectively than traveling to Georgia would be.

~41 miles from Daytona
Chris Holmes, GSEB
Heathrow, FL
E-Mail: HOLMESGOLF@CFL.RR.COM
(407) 314-1118

~48 miles from Daytona
John Rohan-Weaver, GSEB
Altamonte Springs, FL
E-Mail: info@rovergolf.com
(407) 862-2727

~48 miles from Daytona
Greg Gossett, GSEB
San Diego Golf Academy
Altamonte Springs, FL
E-Mail: ggg@sdgagolf.com
(407) 699-1990

~95 miles from Daytona
Norrie Wright, GSED
Jacksonville, FL
(904) 733-7400

~95 miles from Daytona
Ted Hopkins, GSEM
Jacksonville, FL
(904) 620-0910

~95 miles from Daytona
Cooper Osborne, GSEM
Atlantic Beach, FL
(904) 571-9152

~122 miles from Daytona
Edward Hamilton III, GSEB
Amelia Island, FL
(904) 277-0012

~122 miles from Daytona
Anne Cain, GSEB
The Anne Cain Golf Academy
at The Golf Club of Amelia Island
Amelia Island, FL
www.annecaingolf.com
(904) 321-5464

More Paul Hart
 

Please do tell us more about Paul...did his TGM journey begin during his playing career or after? ..do you know why his late surge in appreciation and how to teach it has occurred after so many years of TGM? Thanks for sharing with us your insights of Paul....he is fascinating to listen to....wouldn't it be great if he joined this FORUM.

cjgolf,

Thanks, that was very appreciated. The idea he felt so comfortable with a club in his hands, Hogan seemed to fit that description. With a club in his hands he seemed to become a God.

Matt

???????
 

Don't quite understand what you are referring to...find a TGM teacher closer than the swamp?

Never mind....saw your follow up email....
 

Really, I do pretty well $ wise. But, to take $600-1000 for a one day personal thrill is something I have to be disciplined to save for. You'd be surprised how quickly my daily pocket change adds up to $1000.00. (grin).

Plus, I travel for business so I can always sked a business meeting near the swamp. Now, if there is someone equally as qualified, it would make more sense to stay closeer to home. However, I was very impressed by the video instruction with Colin.

I am on to this stuff. With just the info I gleaned in one day of surfing this site (and a couple other recommeded ones) and then a short practice session at the range, I saw an improvement and some things registered. My backswing and follow through immediately changed and I realized why my driver sometimes hits that high slice.

So, it might be 6 months but I am looking forward to a day at the swamp. Kind of like my wife likes her once a year trip to the day spa. The swamp sounds very theraputic to me at this point.

Please don't take this as being disrespectful of any AI's out there as I can only speak from personal experience.My original AI recommended Lynn Blake after hearing of this site and hosting a school in Germany.His understanding was subsequently transformed .After a visit to the swamp so was mine.After the recent Old Waverly Academy I took another step.I now have enough information and understanding that I won't need another lesson until I can produce in my swing what i have in my head.If I can do that ,-by my next lesson I will be GOOD!.Understanding means self analysis ....you will never lose what you learn-and you will know it is correct.I have spent 16hrs with Yoda and 20hrs with Yoda,Ted&VJ.Never again will I have to consider spending money on never ending lessons jumping from teacher to teacher to find "the fix".I have found G.O.L.F..It is my opinion that you should do whatever you need to do to get to the swamp or an academy with any of the above Instructors .Very few people have had the personal contact that Yoda had with Homer Kelly-and it shows. Good Luck in your journey!:smile:

Waiting For Godot
 

30Yr,

There will be no reply from Stags...

We no longer find his name listed among our members.

Thank you for your support of our site. We appreciate it and welcome the opportunity to serve.

Yoda...I assume you mean you banned Stags...that don't seem right.

His suggestion was reasonable, and the information he provided regarding local AI's was sound.

I hope he was not banned purely because he was trying to take some business away from you?

Money Well Worth It...
 

30yrlayoff,

Go to the Swamp. It will be money well spent. I have taken many lessons from Lynn, each time I learn something new.

By the way, these lessons were conducted over the telephone...:p

Toolish,

It was right and you will have to trust our judgement. The decision is based on information and interactions that we won't expose. It's not about this thread. It was a unanimous joint decision by all of the Admins.

Bagger

MIA -- For A Reason
 

Please note that the information Mr. Stags posted regarding Authorized Instructors still stands.

As does each of his posts.

His membership does not.

As Bagger stated above, there is a reason for that. And it goes beyond the bounds of these Forums.

As far as competitive pressures go, please...

There are at least 85 million golfers (95 percent of all in the world according to The Golf Channel) who have waited patiently for the information we are now sharing. When the dam breaks, the deluge will swamp all those in its path. I have always sought to broaden -- not narrow -- the scope of The Golfing Machine. And the 'proof is in the pudding.' Have we ever -- ever -- deleted a posted reference or link to a 'competitor', even when that link was an obvious profiteering on our growing membership?

No.

Never.

Read my own 1982 multi-page brochure posted in these Forums. Do you find my name? Yes, but only as a last-page postscript in small type in a signature block destined for an international network of hundreds -- perhaps even thousands -- of instructors.

My challenge -- then and now renewed -- is to build the team necessary to support the coming demand.

Mr. Stags was divisive.

Deliberately and mean-spiritedly divisive.

This is Semper Fi.

All for one...

One for all.

Not...

Me against you.

Not...

You against me.

For that reason...

He is gone.

As will be the next who deliberately and maliciously uses these pages to oppose our mission.